TY - JOUR ID - 129001070 TI - Adaptation to tethering in yearling dairy heifers assessed by the use of lying down behaviour. PY - 1999 DB - UniCat KW - Adaptation. KW - Behaviour. KW - Control. KW - Experiment. KW - Floor. KW - Heifers. KW - Investigation. KW - Lying down. KW - Lying. KW - Pasture. KW - Pen. KW - Time. UR - https://www.unicat.be/uniCat?func=search&query=sysid:129001070 AB - This study investigates how the lying down behaviour is affected during the first weeks after tethering. Forty-eight dairy heifers in four trials were brought in from pasture and housed individually in straw-bedded pens prior to the experiment. During the experimental period of 24 days, the heifers were either tethered in stalls with concrete floor during all 24 days, the last 10 days, the last 3 days, or stayed in the pens for the whole period (control). At the end of the experimental period, the behaviour of all heifers was video-recorded during 24 h. The number of investigations of the lying surface per lying down was largest (PPPPP<0.001). Heifers tethered for 3 days appeared to have the greatest problems and loose heifers appeared to have fewest problems with lying down. The results suggest that heifers have problems lying down in tie-stalls, especially shortly after tethering, and that full adaptation to tethering does not occur within the time investigated ER -